You Sunk my Battleship
by Rianne Pond
Summary: T for language It's game night at Wammy's house and Mello and Near can't put their rivalry aside for even one game. "Mello supposed that Near, being one of his few true friends, should probably not blackmail him, but what fun was that? The rivalry between them was too strong to ignore and a little banter back and forth was healthy. Competition was a good thing. May the best man win


**You Sunk my Battleship**

"Mello," Near moaned, his mouth turning in a ferocious way. He didn't like what was happening and he was just about ready to tell Mello to his face. Things were getting ugly.

"Say it," Mello egged, his eyes dancing with fire as he held Near still, pinned. "Come on Near, say it," he continued ruthlessly, mocking the younger boy. Near's eyes faded into a helpless black. Mello smiled maliciously, licking his lips with success in forcing the other boy into submission. This had been easier than he'd anticipated.

"Mmm… Mello," he snapped, his eyebrows slowly merging into a continuous line of displeasure. Mello chuckled to himself as he flicked his hair aside vainly. Mello bit his lip and grinned an almost malevolent smile.

"Go on, beg!" he demanded. The small blonde shied away in fear. "Plead Near! I want to hear you say those words!" Mello encouraged violently thrashing his head forward to force their faces a mere inch apart. Near shook his head and closed his eyes.

"Nu uh," he refused, childishly ramping up Mello's temper.

"Damn it Near!" he swore. "Just tell me already," Mello yelled. Near finally opened his eyes to make contact with Mello's heavily lined ones. He clenched his little fist and straightened his lips into a tiny straight line.

"Fine," he replied, taking a deep breath and releasing the words of venom on his tongue. "You sunk my battleship," he sighed. Mello smiled deeply and released Near's wrists. After letting out a victorious chuckle he sat up from his lying position on his tummy and straightened his black shirt.

"I knew it," Mello mumbled under his breath. He tucked his silver cross into his shirt and shoved his bangs away from his bright, young eyes. "Near, who is number one?" he provoked, punching Near's shoulder playfully. Near looked up with a murderous glare. This only made the older boy laugh louder.

"I don't understand," Near admitted; his forehead creased into a leathery appearance of worry. Mello snidely snickered to himself and raised an eyebrow victoriously. "I should have won."

"I guess your luck has finally run out, eh Near?" Mello sneered, chipping his black nail polish off in chunks. Near shook his head feverishly.

"No, I should have won," he repeated, as if not believing it the first time it left his lips. "Show me your board," he demanded, turning around Mello's plastic board. Mello caught his hand in the act and forced it to face his way once more. Near let out a hoot of victory. "Aha!"

"I'm warning you Near," Mello growled, clambering over the board viciously. Near managed to face it towards him halfway before Mello angrily flipped the entire thing over, scattering red and white pieces about the room haphazardly. Near let a sick grin grow upon his face.

"You cheated," he explained. Mello's lip raised into scorn. "You didn't actually win."

"I did to! You didn't tell me I _had_ to put my pieces on the board!" he exclaimed his voice dripping with derision.

"You didn't even give me the chance to beat you Mello, how unfair," he incited, speaking as though Mello were a small child or animal. Mello's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" he cried, knocking both boards over and standing up to a towering position over Near. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Near didn't respond. He turned to his white puzzle and fit another piece in, seemingly already aware of where it belonged. Mello seethed to himself, clenching and unclenching his fists heatedly. Just as Mello was preparing to curse out Near he looked around the room. All eyes were on him and his seemingly unprovoked temper tantrum. At the table sat Linda with her sketchbook and pen. Her eyes were about the size of cookies at the moment and her eyebrows were knit together uneasily. Mello knew what the signs meant.

"Mello, I'm going to—" she began. He already knew the words to follow. She'd run to Roger, then they'd all sit down in Roger's office and have a nice long talk about kindness. In the end Mello would be forced to wash dishes the following nights and Near would be absolved of any of his wrongdoings.

"Don't," Mello said, surprisingly calmly. "Near and I were just playing around," he clarified. "Right Near?" Near looked up from his puzzle in regards to his name being said. Without showing a single emotion on his face he looked at both Mello and Linda.

"Right," he agreed, seemingly effortlessly. Mello almost took a double take in Near's direction but decided against it until Linda apprehensively turned around. Once Linda looked away Mello took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. There was a light tugging on his pants as he looked down to Near's ostensibly unthreatening face.

"What?" Mello snarled. At this Near grinned knowingly.

"You owe me your robot action figure for that," he commanded. Mello scratched his eyebrow and looked back at the little brat. With a sharp and impersonal nod of his head he made the trade for Near's silence.

"Fine."

Mello supposed that Near, being one of his few true friends, should probably not blackmail him, but what fun was that? The rivalry between them was too strong to ignore and a little banter back and forth was healthy. Competition was a good thing. With that in mind, game night usually ended similar to this. Mello didn't mind though. On the rare occasion that he tricked Near, there was enough self-satisfaction to fuel the battle onwards. As long as there was enough pride to continue the war their battles of wits would continue.

May the best man win.

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**I hope you enjoyed! I love their little rivalry! Expect more soon... Remember as always to REVIEW, FAVORITE and READ my other stories, there are many more Death Note ones waiting for you! Thanks... 3**


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